The first atomic shock wave caused by Gilda's explosion on this day in 1946.

The Crazy Story of the 1946 Bikini Atoll Nuclear Tests

They were the first time that a nuclear weapon had been deployed since the 1945 attacks on Japan

Images of Yosemite, like this one taken circa 1865, helped increase public appetite for the park.

Lincoln’s Signature Laid the Groundwork for the National Park System

The “Yo-Semite Valley” was made a California state park on this day in 1864, but it quickly became a national park

The Neanderthal teeth, including the impacted molar

New Research

Neanderthals May Have Used Toothpicks to Treat Aching Teeth

A Neanderthal living in what is now Croatia and wore grooves in his or her teeth trying to soothe the pain

The statues and carvings from Gobekli Tepe were found with fragments of carved skull from thousands of years ago.

New Research

Unprecedented Carved Skulls Discovered at a Stone Age Temple in Turkey

Three carved skull fragments from Gobekli Tepe offer tantalizing hints about the lives of Neolithic people

Study co-author Kevin Smith applies melted bitumen to a bottle, following a technique used by indigenous groups of the California Channel Islands.

New Research

Drinking From Ancient Water Bottles Didn’t Hurt Indigenous People—Making Them Did

Researchers replicated a bottle-making process used by indigenous groups of the California Channel Islands to test toxic chemicals

Traffic on Interstate 405, Los Angeles, California, 2012.

Three Ways the Interstate System Changed America

The idea of a national highway system stretches back to the 1930s but wasn’t put into place until the midcentury

In traditional British cuisine, chicken would be far more likely to be boiled than fried.

The First Printed Fried Chicken Recipe in America

A white Virginian woman named Mary Randolph was the first to publish it, but fried chicken’s Southern history is deeper than ‘The Virginia Housewife’

A fancy moule à gaufres (waffle iron) held by the Musée Lorrain.

These Beautiful Medieval Wafer Presses Are Where Waffles Come From

Leggo my flat, fancy Eggo

The ledger will now be stored in the Albany County Hall of Records, shown here.

Cool Finds

Rare Colonial Court Documents Found on eBay

Thanks to a historian’s spidey sense, they’re now housed in a New York archive

Americans went nuts for Queen Victoria less than 60 years after the American Revolution drew to a close.

Americans Caught ‘Victoria Fever’ For The British Queen’s 1838 Coronation

Such delicacies as ‘Victoria soap’ could be bought in America as a souvenir of the occasion

The 1,800-year-old skeleton of a dog, which apparently perished in a blaze in Rome, was discovered during excavations for the metro system.

A Dog From 3rd Century Rome Was Discovered During Subway Excavations

The canine’s skeleton and other artifacts were preserved in a fire, offering a window on Ancient Roman life

J. Robert Oppenheimer in 1956.

Robert Oppenheimer’s Career Ended Long After the Bang, With a Whimper

The rivalry between Edward Teller and Robert Oppenheimer ended both their careers

Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan Macy at a New York flower show, circa 1913.

Three Big Ableist Myths About the Life of Helen Keller

The simple story that’s usually told about her today reflects cultural biases that have nothing to do with her actual life

USS Ranger traverses the Panama Canal during World War II

Trending Today

Documents Show Chile Foiled Nazi Plot to Attack Panama Canal

Files released by Chile’s Investigations Police show a special unit busted two Nazi spy rings in South America

Lash Lure: pretty packaging, but bad news for makeup wearers.

Three Horrifying Pre-FDA Cosmetics

From mercury-loaded face cream to mascara that left you blind

Artists like Van Gogh took full advantage of the new blue pigments invented in the 18th and 19th centuries, which some art scholars say revolutionized painting.

Creating a Full Palette of Blues

How the discovery of a new metal helped to change painting forever

Lock Dating to Revolutionary War Period Found at Michigan Fort

The 250-year-old lock was unearthed in a fur trader’s house at Michilimackinac Fort

President John F. Kennedy sits in the Oval Office with West Berlin's Mayor Willy Brandt in 1961. The Berlin Wall would be erected only a few months later.

Where the Myth of JFK’s ‘Jelly Donut’ Mistake Came From

The misinterpretation didn’t arise until years after his death

British Camp Hill Fort in Herefordshire

Cool Finds

Explore Ancient British Isles Hill Forts with a New Online Atlas

The atlas lists over 4,000 of the structures that dot the landscape, used as gathering spots for Bronze and Iron Age Britons

Wearing white with a white headscarf to St. John's Eve is an important part of the celebration.

American South

Voodoo Priestess Marie Laveau Created New Orleans’ Midsummer Festival

Mardi Gras may be the city’s biggest party, but St. John’s Eve is its most important religious festival

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